Pablo Saracho-Cwic Toy

At Design Interviews

Interview with Pablo Saracho : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Pablo Saracho : Deciduous trees show perfectly the cycle of life every year. We thought that it could be a good idea to design a tree in which you could change pieces of different colors that represent the foliage in every season. At the same time, you can explain to a kid the cycle of life. .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Pablo Saracho : We wanted Cwic to be both beautiful, colorful and didactic. .Frank Scott: What are your future plans for this award winning design?. Pablo Saracho : Keep working on the next wooden toy. .Frank Scott: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?. Pablo Saracho : Three months. .Frank Scott: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?. Pablo Saracho : It was just inspiration, serendipity. Having a walk last fall in Segovia and seeing all the trees changing colors and getting ready for hibernation. .Frank Scott: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?. Pablo Saracho : We are producing the work ourselves. .Frank Scott: What made you design this particular type of work?. Pablo Saracho : We think toys can be beautiful, inspirational, interactive and 100% natural. .Frank Scott: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?. Pablo Saracho : Not that I have in mind right now. .Frank Scott: Who is the target customer for his design?. Pablo Saracho : Children from 3 to 103. .Frank Scott: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?. Pablo Saracho : We have never seen anything like it. It is more than just a puzzle. Besides, the design is different from most of the wooden toys you can find in the market. .Frank Scott: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?. Pablo Saracho : Cwic means life in anglo saxon. My wife is a philologist and so she looked for a name that could transmit the idea of being alive without being too evident. Besides it had to be short and easy to remember. .Frank Scott: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?. Pablo Saracho : The pencil and paper, a computer, the tools in my garage during the weekends and in the factory during the weeks, to get to a valid prototype. After that, a CNC machine. .Frank Scott: What is the most unique aspect of your design?. Pablo Saracho : Simplicity, synthesis. Being able to tell a lot of things from a minimalistic design. .Frank Scott: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?. Pablo Saracho : All the people in the company. .Frank Scott: What is the role of technology in this particular design?. Pablo Saracho : It is very important if you are to produce in market prices and for the wholw world. .Frank Scott: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?. Pablo Saracho : How to represent a tree and its foliage with different pieces. We had to build a trunk that could resist standing as we put the different circles that represent the foliage. The packaging was also a challenge. .Frank Scott: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?. Pablo Saracho : It is our best design this year. .